Lawn mower



May 11, 1937- v w. H. MANNING 2,079,945

I N VEN TOR, /4/1'2 Z (am. H Mann fry myw. A V ATTORNEYS.

May l1, 1937. w. H. MANNING 2,079,945

LAWN MOWER Filed April 27. 1933 4 Sheets-SheetI 24 w. H. MANNING LAWNMOWER Filed April 27, 1933 Mayll, 1937.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 t INVENTQR.' n h/z/Zmm Mannzny ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 11,1193? UNiTE mower.

The invention relates generallyto mowing machines and it has particularrelation to a lawn [One object'of the invention is ito `provide animproved mower which will cut grass" evenly with respect to the groundsurface and thereby eliminate the usual wave orripple effectcharacteristically obtained in th volving blades.

Another object of the invention is to provide a e lawn mower havingremower of the above character which will cut grass evenlyregardless ofthel usual variations the height of grass before it is cut.

Another object loif the invention is to provide a mowerhaving the aboveoperating characteris tics, in which forces required in cutting thegrass are evenly and smoothly distributed to the end that the mower maybe operated by'a substan-A tially constant and small propelling force.

Another objectof the invention is to provide a mower having ground whichis so constructe iis' --o' grass evenly behind contacting'drive wheels,d and arranged that the wheels will 'roll on or. contact with only theground from which the grass has been cut, so 5 that the flattening andconsequent leaving oi! 'strips of uncut grass by wheels of' the mowerrunning thereover prior to cutting, is avoided.

' Another object 'of the invention is to provide `an improvedmower-whichwill distribute the cut This isadvantageous evenly distributed and themower' as it operates.

that if the cut grass is not deposited in bunches.

it need not ordinarily be collected and does not detract from the appearance of the lawn.'

Another object ofthe invention is to provide amowers which operatessilently thereby avoiding the irritating-noises such 'as occurduringoperation of theordinary lawn mower.

Another object of 'a mower in which the .driving forces to the cuttingmechanism in an improved and differential manner. l

Another object of the invention is a mower-having ch the invention istoprovide drive wheels may impart teristics such as mentioned, which isvoperate `by power driven means.

Another objectof. the invention is to provide a `power driven mowerhaving ground contacting drivawheels, wherein improved means'areprovided for driving both wheels or varying the o driving force.imparted to either wheel, so as to enable making turns with thezxnower.l K 4 Another object of the invention is to provide a lawn mowerwhich minimum number l'of is so constructed that a' parts is`required,`and so arranged-that these parts may bereadlly assemc to theaccompanying in which also certain parts are broken away and endlesscutting band.

V'constructed `according to one to provide i bled and disassembled tofacilitate manufacture and replacements, to the end that an efficientand inexpensive construction may be produced.

Other objects of the invention will become'apparent from the followingdrawings and from -the claims hereinafter set forth.

For a better understanding of the invention .reference may be'had to thedrawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a lawn mower constructed according to oneform of the invention, with certain parts broken away and others shownin cross section for the purpose of more clearly illustrating details ofthe construction.

-Fig. 21s a front elevational view of the lawn mowerv shown by Fig. l,also having parts broken awayand others shown in cro'ss section, toillustrate certain'details more clearly.

Fig. 3 is an end elevational' view of the mower others are shown incross section. y.

AFigni is a cross-sectional view on a largenscale taken substantiallyalong the line 4-6 oilig'. 2. Fig. 5 is a `detail view illustrating adifferent type of pulley that may be used in driving the 25 Fig. 6 is aplan view of apower driven-mower formo! the -invention.

Fig. 'I is a cross-sectional view taken substan- '3 tially along theline la-'I of Fig. 6 and iliustrating parts of the steering mechanism. 1

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken substan` tially along-the line8--8 of Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is'a view similar to Fig.8, but illustrating 35 the parts in `a.different relation.

Fig. 10 is 'an enlarged -end elevational view of the mower shown by Fig.6,. as seen from the right end of the figure. 1

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the lineH-ell of Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. l, adrive shaft I0 is providedv having spaced drivewheels Il and I2 rotatably mounted thereon. Each of the drive wheels isoperatively connected to the shaftby a helical spring 'I3 wound aroundthe shaft and which has one vend connected to the wheel by a bolt Il.The other end of the spring abuts a collar l5 on'the shaft which mayadiustably be secured thereto by a set screw I6.- The springs it theshaft rather 50 closely, and. are so wound respectively, that uponlturning of the wheels forwardly, the latter tend to wind the springsand cause them to grip the shafteven'more forcefully. thus'trans'mittingthe description relating 5. A

of the springswith the shaft. If either wheel is 'rotated rearwardly, ittends to unwind the spring springs provide a differentialy drive,allowing lone wheel to rotate forwardly more than the other, for as onewheel begins to rotate forwardly more than the other, it drives theshaft andrelatively" speaking the other wheel is rotating rearwardlywith respect to the shaft, and this causes the spring for the latterwheel to unwind sufficiently to allow it to turn relative to the shaft.This is advantageous particularly in making turns with the mower whenone wheel must move over more ed position, a' set screw 20 may-bethreaded" through the gear and have its inner end engaging-an elongatedflat surface 2| formed on the shaft. The gear I8 meshes with a smallerbevel gear 22 which similarly may be adjustably secured to a smaller.portion 23 of a shaft 24 projecting forwardly at right angles to shaftI0 and which is journaled in a forwardly extending portion 25 of thecasting. Accordingly, when the shaft I0 is driven, shaft 24 will bedriven. It might be noted inthis connection that the size of bevel gearsI8 and 22 maybe varied so as to changethe ratio of the speeds of theshafts.

The end of shaft I0 at the outer side of Awheel I I projects into ahollow casting 21 which is identical to casting I1. Thisend of the shaftin casting 21, however, instead of being provided. with a bevel'gear,has a collar 28 adjustably secured thereon and it will be appreciatedthat, the shaft may be maintained in a definite although adjustablerelation to the castings andthe wheels kby the beveled gear and c ollaron the ends of. the

be Sumtannauyidenacar to shaft za with the shaft which abut innerportions ofthe castings.

Thecasting 21 similarly has a forwardly rprojecting shaft 29 journaledin a forwardly projecting portion 30 of the casting, and this shaft maycured by cap screws 33 to the, rim of the casting.

It may be noted in this connection that the rim of the casting iseircularandA henceJ that the. cover plates 32 are of circular form. Thecap screws 33 are equally spaced in a circumferential direction and,accordinglyI before applying the cover, it may be turned to variablepositions with Vrespect to the rim of the casting. Each cover has acentrally located projection 34 and on these projections a handle havingarms 35 and 36 may be pivotally mounted by providingv openings in` f theends of thearms which receive the projections. It will be understoodthat the handle may be of conventional construction such as used inordinary lawn mowers. At another-point and adjacent its outer periphery,each of the cover plates 32 may have a second projection 31 adapted toact as a limit or stop to pivotal ,mol/@ment 'I'husthe mower may bemoved infa of the handle arms in a downward direction. Thusfalling ofthe handle entirely to the ground may be avoided when it is released bythe operator. It will be appreciated that by removing the handle andcovers and turning the latter as desired, :the projections 31 may bedisposed at other points and that the limiting stops or limits to whichthe handle may be moved downwardly maybe varied. Use of a larger numberof screws 33, would of course, enable a smaller adjustment of the cover?plate andstop 31. Normally,the

stop 31 willv be s'o located that if the handle is released, it. fallsonly a limited distance. event asloping terrace is to be mowed, the arms35 and-36 may be sprung from projections 34, and then mounted onprojections 31. This will allow free rolling movement of the mower downan inclined surface without causing tilting of the handle to a pointwhere holding of the latter' would be diiiicult.

The forwardly projecting portion 25 of casting I1 terminates in a slide40 which, asbest shown by Figs. 3 and 4, has spaced upper ribs 4I andspaced In the lower ribs 42. The forwardly pr/ojecting portion 30 ofcasting 21, as shown by Fig. 4', similarly terminates in -a slide 44having spaced upperribs 45' andl spaced lower ribs 46. The two slidesare .adjustably mounted in a single casting 41 extend- 'ing entirelyacross the front of the mower, and for effecting thistadjustablemountingof lthe slides. it will be noted'as shown by Figs. 3 and 4 thatthe back side of the casting at opposite sides of the.

mower has vertically spaced arms 48 and 4 9 havingguideways forreceiving the ribs on the slides.

plate portions 55 and 5 6 has an elongated opening 51 throughwhichtheshafts 24 and 28 project to points forwardly thereof, and eachshaft infront of the back plate portions lhas a pulley wheel 60 pressfitted thereon -for rotation with the shaft.

The pulleys have hub portions 6| that -project through the openings 51-and abutthe forward faces ofthe slides and packing'rings 62, disposedbetween the slides and the back wall portions, extend around and overthe openingsf1 to prevent .ingress ofdirt or-ottler foreign matterthrough theopenings'frmte back side of the casting.

` Thesepacking rings are sufficiently large that the slides may beadjusted with respect tothe casting and th openings 51 therein, withoutuncovring the latter.` 'f

The casting uis open largely between back plate portions 55 and 56 andbetween upper parts oi' the latter a forwardly projecting rib 64 extends'transversely-and' then around the edge of the plate portions.I topoints adjacent the bottom side 'of' the pulley wheels.l A second rib65.1Lntegral with therear part 'of rib 64 and slightly .spacedvertically with respectvthereto extends between the wall portions 65 and66 and at opposite ends 'curves downwardly and slightly around adjacentperipheral edges of the wall portions. The ribs 64 and 65'across the topofthe casting constitute a guideway at the top for an endless cutterband 466 trained around the pulley wheels and it will ybe noted thateach .pulley wheel vhas flanges as indicated at 61 for constituting aguide for the band during its movement around thel wheels.

Across the lower part of the casting and between the back wall portions55 and 56, an integral cutter bar 68 is provided which in effectconstitutes an extension of the rib 64 although it is wider and thickerin dimensions. The cutter bar 68, as best shown by Fig. l, has laterallyspaced V-shaped notches 69 therein with the apex portions of thenotchesrearward and it will be appreciated that such notches are adaptedto receive portions of the grass to be cut. This cutter bar and henceeach of the teeth thus formed therein, as best shown by Fig. 4, has ashallow guideway in the upper face thereof for receiving the lower runof the endless cutter band 66. Over the guideway, a retaining plate 1|is secured by screws 12 to the rear and upper side of the cutter bar,and the front edge of the plate fits into notches 13 formed in the frontportion of the bar and the teeth therein. It will be observed that theupper face of the plate is .flush with the upper face of the frontportions of the teeth in the cutter bar. 'Ihe retaining plate 1I extendsto a point adjacent the lower sides of the pulley wheels and the endlessband 66 enters the guideway 10 adjacent the ends of the plates.irnilarly to the bar 68, the plate 1I is formed with V-shaped notchescoinciding vertically with the notches in the bar.

As best shown by Fig. 3, the cutter band 66 is provided with V-shapednotchesJ15 forming teeth between the notches, and the apex of each notchis rounded as indicated at 16. This band preferably is composed of thin,clock `spring steel which is well adapted for use as an endless cutterband because of its hardness and adaptability to bending withoutbreaking. Owing to the difficulty encountered in cutting out portions ofthis steel in the band to form notches without breaking it, it ispreferred to first `form the rounded openings 16 and then stamp out theremaining portions of the notches. The rounded portions avoid any sharpapexes and splitting during formation of the V portions of the notchesand furthermore avoid any sharp apices that might initiate splittingduring operation of the band. By providing the rounded apex portion of`the notches, the band is more resistant to fatigue stress and hasgreater durability.

In a length substantially equal to the notched portion of the stationarycutter bar66, the endless cutter band is provided with one more notch ortooth than the number of teeth or notches in the bar. By havingv thisvariation, the teeth in the endlessV cutter band will progressively cutthroughout the length of the stationary cutter bar and the cuttingforces will be evenly and smoothly distributed. This is of considerableimportance be-v cause during each increment ofmovement of the endlesscutter band, approximately the same amount of grass is being cut asduring any other increment of movement. constant force is required todrive the cutter band as compared to the force which would be requiredif the teeth in the band were of the same number as the teeth in thestationary bar, in which event all teeth would cut at the same time andlarger and periodic driving forces would be required.

The front side of the casting is closed by a cover 18 secured. to thecasting by screws 19, which covers the pulley wheels, the uppertransverse portion of the casting including the ribs lilll and 66, andextends substantially to opposite ends. of the blade retaining parte 1s.Thus the front part of the casting and the mechanism housed thereby,except for the stationary cutter Thus, only a small and bar, is closedand this prevents undesirable ingress of dirt or other foreign matterinto working parts of the mechanism.

Behind the stationary cutter bar, a shaft 80 is` journaled inarms 8| and82 integral with the back plate portions and 66, and a plurality ofrollers 85 are rotatably mounted on the shaft for supporting the frontend of the mower. The right end ofthe shaft has a reduced portion 84extending through the arm Bland a nut 88 threaded on the outer endofsuch reduced portion firmly holds the shaft in positionagainst-lateral movement while permitting removal readily. merely byremoving the nut and withdrawing the shaft from the left side of arm 82.Use of a plurality of rollers facilitates turning of the mower, anddecreases the cost of manufacture and cost of any replacements of rollerparts.

lfdesired, and as shown by Fig. 5, one or both pulley wheels andparticularly the driving pulley wheel, may have circumferentially spacedpins 86 on the outer surface thereof for cooperation with the openings16 in the endless cutter r band. These pins would serve to morepositively drive the endless cutter band although usually pins of thischaracter need not be provided as sufficient tension may be placed onthe band to insure its being driven by the driven pulley wheel.Undercertain circumstances it may be in fact advisable to not use pinsof this character to permit some slippage of the endless cutter ban-dparticularly in the event objects become lodged between the teeth lofthe stationary cutter bar and impede progress of the endless band. Itwill be appreciated that the tension on the endless cutter band may bevaried and adjusted by moving one or both of the slides l0 and 44. Inadjusting the slides it will of course be necessary to adjust thecastings l1 and 21 with respect to shaft I0 but the manner in which thismay be effected has already been described.

It will be appreciated that there will be no tendency for the front endof the mower to jump up and down because the cutting operation iseffected in a transverse path and hence an even cutting of the grass maybe effected. During cutting of the grass, the cut grass will moverearwardly over the plate 1| and normally under the'rollers 85 and willbe laid on the ground behind the mower in an even fashion. 'Ihis willavoid the depositing of large bunches of grass at intervals which mightultimately cause damage to the grass still rooted in the ground. unlessit were collected during the mowing operation or subsequent thereto.

Owing to the nature of the bevel gear drive,

the front end of the mower naturally is held downwardly so as tomaintain the rollers 85 in contact with the ground. cutting of the grassat an even height and hence leaving a nicely cut appearance to the lawn.`In view of the fact that the front edge of the lawn mower is straightand substantially in alignment with the teeth, the mower may be Thisfurther insures words, ifv the mower is moved forwardly, theV drivewheels will vrmove the endless cutter band at such a rate of speed, thatthe grass enteringV the notches in the bar 68 will be out before it'-will avoid leaving .any uncut grass.

It will be observed thatA the drive wheels and l2 are located behind thestationary cutter bar so that during operation ofthe mower the wheelswill operate only over grass 'that has al ready been cut,l thus avoidingthe flattening and leaving of uncut grass as occurs during operatlonfoi' the rordinary lawn mower.

A mower of the type described' will operate smoothly and withsubstantially no noise and this will be appreciated by any user of lawnmowers who is accustomed to the irritating noise o'f the 'ordinary lawnmower.

Figs. 6 to ll inclusive, relate to a power driven lawn mower and thegeneral distinction between this mowerand that already described'indetail, is that the shaft upon which the wheels and l2 are mounted isdriven by power operated means such as an internal combustion engine,which is drivlngly connected to the shaft and through the latter impartsdriving rncivement to the wheels. Referring to Figs. 6 and 10particularly,

cessed portions 94 so as to permit rotation of' the wheels withoutengagement thereof with any parts of the casting. As its lateral ends,the'castpreferably is covered, by a sheet metal housing ing 90 extends.over the housings/l1 and 21 at opposite ends of shaft I0, and is securedto boss portions 95 of the housings by bolts 96 which -Project throughelongated openings 91 in the plate casting. The elongated openings91.a1low adjustment'of the housings |1- and 21 with respect to castingv90 and hence'with respect to the casting -41 in the manner previouslypointed out.

An internal combustion engine of conventional construction and asindicated at 90, may be rigidly supported on the upper side of thecasting in any suitable manner. The crank shaft of this engine isindicated vat 99 and at its outer end has a small pinion |00 rigidlymounted thereon. The pinion meshes witha large pinion |0| mounted on ashaft |02 that is journaled in upwardly projecting bosses |03'on theplate casting 00. The pinions |00 and |0I provide a desired reductiongearing, and for 4enclosing the pinions, a sheet metal cover or housing|04 is l provided which may be bolted to the plate casting'. The outerend of shaft |02 extends beyond the plane of the housing 21, and has asprocket wheel |00 rigidly mounted thereon for rotation with the shaft.In'this connection -it maybe noted that the housings |1'and 21 haveplane covers |01 instead, of .the rounded covers previously describedi Asprocket' chain |00 trained around the sprocket wheel |00, also istrained around a large sprocket wheel |09 mounted on the end'of shaft Ilwhich-in this construction. 'projects through the cover plate |01 onhousing 21. -The sprocket wheelvand chain assembly lll which may bebolted to the housing .21 by means of the same bolts which secure theplate |01 thereto. .The sprocket wheels and the reducslgiied that theshaft. llmay be driven at such speeds that-the'wheels and i2 thereonwill move'the lawn mower over the ground at what 2,079,945 can reach theback part of the notches. This may be termed a walking speed, althoughmanifestly this speed may be varied by varying the wheels respectively,and one end of each spring is bolted to its wheel in the same 'manner asalready described. Normally, the convolutions of the springs are spacedand the springs are so wound. that during forward rotation of the shaft,the tendency of the wheels to lag behind with respect to rotation,causes the springs to be wound more tightly about the shaft and hence tomorestrongly engage the latter in a fric.- tional manner. This bindingof the springs on the shaft drivingly connects the latter to the wheelsand consequently causes forward movement of the lawn mower.

It will, be evident that if either spring is compressed axially withrespect to vthe condition of the spring as shown by Fig. 8, the diameterof the spring will increase and this will relieve the binding action ofthe spring on the shaftand if thespring is compressed s'uiiiciently, theshaft may rotate in the spring and hence without turning the wheel towhich thelatter is connected.

Accordingly, 'during forward rotation -of the shaft and hence forwardmovement of the lawn mower, if one spring is compressed axially, thedriving connection between the shaft and the adjacent wheel, will beinterrupted and this side of the lawn mower will tend to dropbehlnd'while the opposite side .is moved forwardly by the wheel at thelatter side of the mower. This will result in a turning of thelawn-mower. The degree of turning may be'varied by varying thecompression of the spring and if the spring is not compressed too much;some slippage of the` shaft with respect to the spring may occur so asnot to entirely interrupt the driving connection and permit a partiallyinterrupted drivingconnection. It will be readily appreciated thatcompression of either spring may be effected to turn the lawn mower ineither direction and turn it quickly or-more slowly.

For the purpose of steering the lawn mower by using this principle'ofoperation, a steering wheel ||1 is provided as shown by Fig. 10. andthis wheel is rigidly connected with an obliquely arranged shaft H8journaled at its upper end in a bearing (not shown) in a stationarysleeve H9, so that by rotating the steering wheel, the shaft ||8 alsorotates. As shown best by Fig. 7, the sleeve IIS is seated in an opening|20 formed in a boss portion |2| integral with the plate casting 90 andwhich is located substantially intermediate the side edges of thecasting. The sleeve is rigidly held in the opening |20 by an arcuateclamping plate |22 fitting one-half of the sleeve and having oppositeside portions bolted as indicated at |23, to the boss portion of thecasting. A bearing |24 disposed between the shaft ||B and the innersurface of the sleeve rotatably supports the lower end of the shaft,-and this bearing is integral with a hollow casting` I26into which theshaft projects and which is normally closed by a cover plate |21 securedthereto by bolts |28. It will be noted that.v two of these bolts alsoarethreaded intoan inclined portion .|20 of the plate casting.l Thisprovides a rigid mounting which maybe assembled and disassembled withoutdifficulty. Within the housing 4|20 andas best shown by* Fig. 8, shaft||8-has a cam plate |30 secured thereto and -this cam plate hassubstantially parallel side j ment is such that the springs drivinglyconnect the shaft I0 to the wheels and |2`. If the n posed the inner`straddle the shaft cam `surfaces |3| and |32 which at' one end mergeinto curved cam surfaces |33 vand |34 that are substantially concentricto the axis of the shaft. f Such curved surfaces terminate in planesurfaces |35 and |36 disposed in V-v relation and which terminate in anapex |31. piametrically opposite the apexthe plate is generally arcuateand concentric to the axis of the shaft with a radius substantiallyequal to the radial distance of the apex and this arcuate surface isrecessed at opposite sides of its center as indicated at |40 and |4| andhas a central recess |42.

The casting |25 at diametrically opposite sides has bearing portions |43and |44 and a pair of rods |45 and |43 are journaled in openings thereinand project into engagement with the edge faces ofthe cam plate |30.Referring now to both Figs.,8 and l1, each of the rods |45 and |48 atits opposite end terminates in a. bifurcated or slotted portion |48which receives arms |49 and |50 pivotally mounted on the plate casting90 by means of a bolt |5| threaded into an inclined portion |52 of thecasting. The arms |49 and |50 at their lower ends, diverge respectivelyand |0 and the free ends of the diverging portions have openings whichengage knob elements |53 projecting from and integral with oppositesides of a collar |54 rotatably mounted on the shaft I0.. These collarsrespectively abut the ends of the adjacent springs on the shaft. It willnow be appreciated that if .either of the rods |45 and |45 is shifted,the arms |49 and |50 may be shifted about the bolt |5| and this willcause a movement of the collar |54 to compress the spring or if the rodis shifted in the other direction, the compressed spring will -move thecollar accordingly.

Reference may now be had to Figs. 8 and '9 particularly. and attentionis directed to the fact that these figures illustrate the steeringmechanism with the `front of the mower directed as shown by the arrow. Aspring ||3 is at the right of the cam plate |30 and the' spring ||4 atthe left of the cam plate. Now referring to Fig. 8 particularly, thearrangesteering wheel is turned counterclockwise or to the left so thatthe 'cam plate is moved into the position shown by Fig. 9. no movementof rod |46 will occur as its inner end will ride lover the 'arcuatesurface 4|34 which is concentric to the axis of the shaft. Theinner endof rod |45, however, will be forced to the right owing to the movementof the-cam plate and as so disend of the rod will seat in the recess |4|so as to hold the parts in position vand to give the operator a-feel oftheir relation. When so arrangedthe` wheel ||,will be released while thewheel |2 will continue to' drivethe mower and hence the mower will beturned to the left. Manifestly. if the steering wheel is moved in theopposite direction from that shown by Fig. 9, the inner end of rod |43may be brought to rest in recess |40 and the lawn mower will be turnedto the right. Either of these movements may correspond approximately toa 45 degree turn ofthe steering wheel and the shaft H8. If the steeringwheel is turned 'still farther to the left from its initially and 45'degrees turned position, and hence if the cam plate as shown in Fig.ills turned still farther to the left', rod |40 ksteering wheel .and camHence, as in Fig. 6, the

, parting from the scope of will be pushed outwardly and this willresult in an interruption of `the driving connection between wheel i2and shaft |0. During this further movement of the cam plate, rod |45substantially maintains its same position owing to-the arcuate surfacewith which it is engaged, and finally willV engage the central recess|42 while apex |31 will engage the end of rod |43. If the plate areturned degrees to the right from theposition shown in Fig. 8, bothwheelsalso will be disconnected from the shaft i0. Thus, the steeringwheel may be turned 45 degrees. in either direction and the lawn mowerwill turn according to this direction. and if the steering wheel isturned still farther 45 degrees in either direction, both wheels will bedisconnected from the driving shaft.

The amount the steering wheel is turned may be indicated to the operatorby forming suitable indicia on the wheel and providing a stationarymarker, as indicated at |51" in Fig. 10. This marker may be secured tothe sleeve ||3 and extend over the upper part of the steering wheel.

In either mower described, the parts at opposite sides, are identical,where this is practical, and this naturally reduces manufacture andreplacement costs. It is apparent that ready access may be had to anypart of the mower, and that such adjustments or replacements as may everbe necessary, can be made with little difficulty.

It is also apparent that the endless cutter band l may be removed orreplaced without dimculty owing to the lateral adjustability of thepulleys, and that this feature also enables tightening or loosening ofthe band when desired.

Either mower operates to cut grass evenly and with minimum effort owingto the distribution of the grass cutting action and cutting stresses.Moreover, either mower will operate without `leaving flattened grass andhence strips of un- -cut grass that result from flattening the grasswheel, and by proper manipulation of the latter,

the engine can be drivingly disconnected from both drive wheels.Moreover, a smooth transmission of power -is obtained. 4 Y

In general, the mowers provided are relatively inexpensive, and aredesigned to be extremely durable so as to eliminate repairs orreplacements as much as possible.V Moreover, they are designed to obtainsmooth and even cutting of the grass, with a minimum requirement ofmanual or power effort.

, Although more than one form of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat various modifications may be made without de the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A mower comprising a stationary cutter bar element havinsrentryteeth, an endless cutter band element having teeth adapted to cooperatewith the teeth in the bar for cutting grass entering between teeth inthe bar, one element in 1a length corresponding to thelength of the barspectively, and helical springs wound, closely on the shaft andconnected at .one end respectively to the wheels, the springs havingfrictional contact only with the' shaft through engagement of its innerperiphery-with the surface of the shaft, so that upon relative-rotationof the wheels and shaft in one direction, the springs tightly bind onthe shaft and upon relative rotation of thev wheels and shaft id theother direction, .the

springs tend to -uwind and loosen on the shaft' and turn relativethereto, the arrangement providing a differential drive between thewheels and shaft advantageous particularly when the mower is making aturn.

3. A mower comprising a stationary cutter bar lhaving teeth, an endlesscutter band of integral construction and having teeth adapted tocooperate with the teeth in the stationary bar, and means for drivingthe band, the teeth in the band being V-shape with the apex portionsthereof rounded to avoid breakage as a result of fatigue v stresses. o e

4. A mower comprising a transverse driving shaft, housing means mountedon opposite ends of the shaft, forwardly projecting shafts journaled inthe housin g means, pulleys mounted onthe front ends of the forwardlyprojecting shafts, a stationary cutter bar operatively connected to thehousing means, an endless cutter band trained around the pulleys, ladriving connection between the first shaft and one of the forwardlyprojecting shafts, and means for ad- -justing one of the housing meansrelative to the `cutter bar so as to I tighten the band on .the

5. In a mower, a shaft, a pair of housings'on opposite ends ofthe-shaft, Lforwardly projecting shafts journaled inithe housings, and atransverse cutter bar releasably secured to the housings.

6. A mower comprising a shaft, housings ad-- just'ably mounted onopposite ends of the shafts,

a transversely extending casting in front ofvand releasably connected tothe housings, said cast- -ingbeing open centrally and between its ends,and including `a stationary cutter bar-extending transversely 'at itslower edge. rotatable pulleys mounted'at opposed ends of the casting, anend-'- less cutter band trained around the pulleysand adapted tocooperate with the stationary cutter bar,means for driving the band, andmeans for I7/ adjustably connecting the. housings to the castving so asto enable tighteningltheTband onthe PUIIEYS.

7. A mower comprising a front transverselyv extending casting openintermediateits ends and including a stationary cutter barextendingvalong thel lower edge of the casting, shafts projectingforwardly through enlarged openings at each lend of the casting, pulleysmounted. o'n the shafts in front of the casting, an endless cutter .band

trained around the pulleys and having its lower runfadjacent thestationary cutter bar, means 75 adjustably supporting each shaft on thecasting for adjustment along the latter, and means for driving theendlessl cutter band.

8. In a mower, a transversely extending casting open intermediate itsends, a stationary cutter extending transversely and Joining lower andopposite end portions of the casting, transverse guideson the ends ofthe casting, housing means adjustably mounted on the guides foradjustment along the casting, pulleys rotatably supported by thehousings in the vertical plane oi' the cutter bar, an endless cuttertrained around the pulleys and adapted to cooperate with the cutter bar,and means for driving the endless cutter.

9. .A lawn mower comprising aframe structure, plates releasahlysecuredto the structure at opposite sides thereof and being adjustable in theirown plane,'means yon the structure for holding the plates in theiradjustable positions a handle pivotally connected to the plates, and

means on thel platesrfor limiting pivotal move- .of a one piece `memberhaving spaced sides and ends connected'tothe sides and forming a closedperiphery, one linear side of the casting having teeth and constitutinga cutter bar.

12. A power driven mower comprising a driving shaft, ground contactingwheels rotatably mounted on the shaft, power meansoperatively anddrivingly connected o to the shaft, driven grass cutting meansoperativelyconnected to the shaft, individually operated means fordrivingly connecting and disconnecting either wheel with respect to theshaft, and manually operable means extending rearwardly of the mowerforoptionally connecting or disconnecting either or both wheels lwithrespect to the shaft.

13. A power driven mower comprising a driving shaft, wheels rotatablymounted on opposite end portions of the shafts respectively, grasscutting means loperatively and drivingly connected to the shaft, poweroperated means, means drivingly connecting the power operated meanstothe shaft, a pair of helical springs closely encircling the shaft andadapted to bind on the shaft when the latter turns in one direction, andmeans connecting one endr ofthe springs respectively to the wheels, thearrangement being such that dur- -ing rotation of the shaft, the springsfrictionally bind to the shaft and drive the wheels.

14. 'A power driven mower comprising a driving shaft, wheels rotatablymounted on opposite end portions of the shaft. grass cutting meansoperatively and drivingly connected to the shaft. power operated meansdrivingly connecting the power operated means to the shaft, a pair oihelical springs closely encircling and normally having frictionalengagement with the shaft, with convolutionsof the springs normallyseparated,

' means connecting one end of the springs respectively ,to the wheels,and means for compressing either of the springs in an axial direction soas to varythe diameter thereof. the arrangement be-I ing such thatduring rotation of the shaft the springs frictionally bind to the shaftand drive the wheels, but, upon compressing one of the springs, thediameter is increased and driving of the wheel thereby is interrupted.

15. A power driven mower comprising a driving shaft,'ground contactingwheels rotatably mounte'd on opposite end portions of the shaft, grasscutting means operatively and drivingly connected to the shaft, poweroperated means, means drivingly connecting the power operated means tothe shaft, a pair of helical springs closely en\ circling and normallyhaving frictional engagement with the shaft, with convolutions of thesprings normally separated, means connecting one end of the springsrespectively to the wheels, and manually operable steering means on themower for compressing either of the springs in an axial direction,whereby upon compressing either spring its diameter is increased topermit the shaft to turn loosely in the spring.

16. A mower comprising a shaft, -a rotary ground contacting means on theshaft, housings at the end of the shaft and in which the ends of thelatter are journaled, a forwardly projecting shaft journaled in eachhousing, pulleys on the forward ends of the latter shafts, an endlesscutter element trained around the pulleys, means operatively connectingthe first' shaft with one of the forwardly projecting shafts, and meansadjustably connecting the housings so as to render them adjustablelongitudinally of the first mentioned shaft.

17. AA mower comprising a shaft, rotary ground contacting means on theshaft, forwardly projecting housings at the ends of the shaft and inwhich the ends of the latter are journaled, a forwardly projectingshaftl journaled in each housing, pulleys on the forward ends of thelatter shafts, an endless cutter element trained around the pulleys,means in one housing drivingly connecting the shafts journaled therein,and means adj ustably connecting the housings so as to render themadjustable longitudinally of the first shaft.

18. A mower comprising a shaft, rotary ground contacting means on theshaft, interchangeable housings at the ends of the shaft respectivelyand in the ends of the latter are journaled, a forwardly projectingshaft journaled in each housing, pulleys on the forward ends of thelatter shafts, an endless cutter element trained around the pulleys,means operatively connecting the first shaft with one of the forwardlyprojecting shafts, and means adjustably 'connecting the housings so asto render them adjustable longi-J tudinally of the first mentionedshaft.

19. 'A mower comprising a shaft, rotary ground contacting means on theshaft, housings on the end of the shafts and having access openings,forwardly projecting shafts journaled in the housings, grass cuttingmeans operatively connected to the forward ends of the latter shafts,means in one housing drivingly connecting the shafts iournaled therein,cover plates for the access openings in the housings, and a handlepivotally ,connected to the cover plates.

20. In a mower a member having spaced sides ,and ends connected to thesides-and forming a ter bar with its other run extending along the upperedge of the annulus, means cooperating with the annulus for housing thepulleys and upper run of the element, and means for maintaining thelower run of the element closely adjacent to the cutter bar. y,

2l. A power driven mower comprising a driving shaft, ground contactingwheels rotatably mounted on the shaft at opposite ends thereof, powermeans operatively and drivingly connected to the shaft, individuallyoperated means for drivingly connecting and disconnecting the wheelswith respect to the shaft, a single rotary steering member extendingrearwardly of the mower, and means operatively connecting said steeringmember to the last mentioned means and being of such character that inmoving the steering member in one direction one wheel may bedisconnected from the shaft while leaving the-other connected to theshaft, and in turning the steering member in the other direction, theother wheel may be disconnected from the shaft without disconnectingvthe first wheel.

22. A power driven mower comprising a driving shaft, ground contactingwheels rotatively mounted on the shaft at opposite ends thereof, powermeans operatively and drivingly connected to the shaft, individuallyoperated means for drivingly connecting and disconnecting the wheelswith respect to the shaft, a single rotary steering member extendingrearwardly of the mower, and means operatively connecting said steeringmember to the last mentioned means and including means for disconnectingone or both wheels from the shaft in turning the steering member Ain onedirection.

with respect to the shaft when the steering member is turned in onedirection and for disconnecting both wheels with respect to the shaftupon continued movement of the steering `member in said direction.

' 24. A power driven mower comprising a driving shaft, ground contactingwheels rotatively mounted on the shaft at opposite ends thereof, powermeans operatively and drivingly connected to the shaft, individuallyoperated means for drivingly connecting and disconnecting the Wheelswith respect to the shaft, a single movable steering member extendingrearwardly -of the mower, and means operatively connecting said4steering member to the last mentioned means and being of such characterthat in moving the steering member to one position one wheel may bedisconnected from the shaft while leaving the other connected to theshaft and'in moving the steering member to another position, theotherwheel may be disconnected from the shaft without disconnecting the firstwheel.

25. A power driven mower comprising a driving shaft, ground contactingwheels rotatably mounttivelyand adapted to have frictional engagementwith the shaft for drivingly connecting the wheels with respect to theshaft, a single movable steercally .disposed and spaced pulley wheelsadjacent the ends of the shaft, an endless and toothed cutter bandtrained around the pulley, a stationary and toothed cutter bar extendingalong the lower run of the band, means for moving the' mower includingwheels rotatably mounted on opposite ends of the shaft, a drivingconnection between the shaft and one ofv the pulley wheels, individualmeans for drivingly connecting either wheel with respect to the shaft,and manually operable means for controlling said individual meansselectively.

27. Alawn mower comprising a frame, a pair of pulleys on the frame, anendless cutter band trained about the pulleys, a cutterbar cooperatingwith the, band, means for drivingthe band, and means for adjustablymounting one of the pulleys on the frame so as to enable tightening ofthe band about the pulleys. l v WILLIAM H. MANNING.

